WaT A Slow Goodbye
by Mariel3
Summary: Random bitterness prevails. JS
1. A Slow Goodbye

**This is a shortie. And angsty with a touch of bitter. I'm not sure what it should be called officially, though it is exactly 100 words and should therefore be classed, I guess, as a drabble. As there will likely be more to follow - if I continue in this mood- maybe we should wait for the classification thing and just go with the flow. As always, thanks for taking the time to read...**

**This also comes with the warning that this is not my usual kind of thing... **

**A Slow Goodbye**  
By Mariel

* * *

A slow goodbye, that's all it had been. 

Slow and torturous.

Heartfelt, hurtfelt glances and an occasional slip she'd mistaken for hello had given rise to hope that had slowed the goodbye still further.

How had she come to believe the murmured lies spoken against her neck in the warmth of her bed ? And his unspoken untruths. What about those?

He hadn't wanted her; not really. Escape, empowerment, an edge, perhaps.

She'd certainly given him those._ Along with her heart._

In return, he'd given her this slow farewell.

Now that it is finished, she wonders what to do with it.

End


	2. A Slow Drowning

**I'm still messing around with depressing drabbles. Trying to collect my thoughts into 100 words is kinda fun! Here's another - still from Samantha's pov... **

**A Slow Drowning**  
By Mariel

Every one of his lies had taken a piece of her soul and laid what was left exposed and fragile.

Every one of his smiles had hurt, until, gasping for breath, her heart had cried out in defeat.

Every one of the days and nights spent together had been heaven..

...with an ocean of hell waiting at stage left.

He'd said that he loved her; then said he didn't know what they were doing...

..And then said it was over.

Every one of those lies had taken her further from shore...

...clinging desperately to the very thing that drowned her.

**End **


	3. Propriety

Still playing with what I can do with 100 words. I'm just messing around here, so you'll have to excuse my experimentation. I was aiming for a goblet or urn effect, but no matter how I played with the words, only this stemmed cake plate made me happy.

This is from Maria's pov...

**There's a consequence for going too far...**

**Propriety**  
By: Mariel

She could have allowed him - had allowed him - his almost obsessive devotion to his job, his late hours, and his absentee parental style._  
She could even have allowed for his indiscretions._

But not the infatuation; not the willful desregard for propriety.  
So she shortened the leash, demanded more, became a less benign master.  
He heeled obediently, reluctantly forsaking his forbidden treat...

But she could not abide the look of loss in his eyes_  
Nor the regret._  
And she could not,  
_would not,_  
forgive him that.

So retribution -  
_well-planned, well-executed -_  
Doubled his loss and regret in ways that had to suffice.

**End **


	4. No Haven

**As requested here's 100 words from Jack's pov. Sort of. It explains a few things, at least. Still depressing, though...**

**No Haven**  
By: Mariel

He'd forgotten, for that time, who he was;  
Forgotten, even, who he'd wanted to be.

Tired, worn, and seduced by hope,  
He'd found comfort in welcoming arms and an understanding heart,  
And chosen to follow a path unmarked.

But when the path back to who he had been got lost,  
And the path ahead looked unclear,  
he found himself afraid.

Wavering in that pivotal moment, he turned.

Like a horse rescued from a burning barn  
He shied away, forsaking the uncertainty of pastures untried  
And set his sights back on the remembered haven.

A haven already destroyed by his leaving.

**End**


	5. Boxing Day

Merry belated Christmas, and Happy New Year!

I'm going to try very hard to keep the author's notes shorter than the actual piece of writing, but I want to say thank you to everyone. This is dedicated to Diane, who steadfastly keeps the faith and who beta'd her way through so many stories.. and to the lovely people (you know who you are!) who drop a line every now and again to give a gentle prod and to say hello. Justine, Trish...thanks.

May your days be merry and bright...and filled with hope and happiness...

**Boxing Day**  
By: Mariel

* * *

The phone rings. She wonders who it could be. Boxing Day - the second loneliest day of the year...

"Hello?"

"Sam."

A long, silent pause as time and place fade.

"Yes?"

A longer pause. The cosmos stills, leaving her suspended in a vaccuum where only the beat of her heart exists.

His sigh disturbs that vaccuum. "I-"

Again the silence. Then an inhalation, a suggestion of life, of longing, of love remembered.

She waits, holding her breath, unsure if this is what she wants because she wants it so much.

"May I come up?"

Closing her eyes, she softly whispers, "Yes."

End


	6. California Dreamin'

Okay...here's another. Still on the angsty side, though.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you enjoyed it - and I gotta say that after all this time away from the fandom, it felt good to be remembered: )

**California Dreamin'**  
By Mariel

The knock is soft; her heart pounds in response.

He had an affair and his wife left him. He made a baby with his best friend's widow, but she's gone now.

Now he's here.

Third time lucky? Third time cursed?

"Sam?"

She hears her name and the uncertainty in his voice when he says it.

_He's in the hallway outside her door, but he doesn't know where he stands._

She's not sure she can help him.

She said goodbye; her own footing is firm.

"It's open," she calls.

Was firm.

_The ground beneath her slides and begins to give way._

End


End file.
